Fight and flight
by GattoDiabilo
Summary: Can the inquisitional crew of Valkyie JVV stave off the blight of the tyranids?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - the first spire

"Sir it's no use, we're overrun!" the guard Sergeant spoke into his communicator. He was starting to break, starting to consider retreat till he heard something... the drone of an aircraft engine!

"This is Valkyrie JVV commencing strafing run, hold in there Sergeant" the guard sergeant looked to the skies and breathed a sigh of relief as the aircraft went over his head. The forward facing laser cannon carved a long trench in the ground making the insectoid aliens that assaulted them squeal and scream.

Up in the cockpit the gunner switched to internal com and spoke to the two collared beauties in the back "Those weapons aren't decoration, get shooting".

"Yes Master" they chorused and they let loose with a volley of rapid fire rounds tipped with dynamite. They ripped through swarms of the vile beasts.

The guard below were rallied by this and started to shoot their las guns at the creatures once more. The Valkyrie gunship turned, in a sweeping arc, and rounded for a second pass again ripping the beasts to shreds. There came a thundering roar and Bobby had to bank sharply as a globule of bio-acid was flung up at them. The beast that had fired it at them was huge, a Carnifex; a creature evolved to deal with battle tanks. "Bring that fucker down!" Inquisitor Blackthorn ordered and Bobby flicked a switch.

"Hellstrike missile hot Sir"

Inquisitor Blackthorn flicked switches and got tone.

"Girls keep shooting at that big one". There came his answer as the bolt rounds slammed into it, weakening it's scaled hide but only spilling a little of its corrosive green blood.

Inquisitor Blackthorn saw the opportunity and launched the ordinance. It went off with a mini mushroom cloud and vaporised the carifex in one blow.

"Throne yeah!" Inquisitor Blackthorn bellowed "one more missile left Bobs, let's make it count"

Bobby set the flyer back to cruising mode and they zipped off over the battle field once more.

They continued to cause havoc on the battle field till the perfect opportunity for the second missile showed itself. A spore tower; the place these vile creatures were hatched. The Hellstrike missile screamed out from under the wing and thudded into the hive stack. It went off with a muffled crump then the internal wave made it's surface ripple and at last it ruptured. It fell apart in a tide of goo.

The four person crew of the Valkyrie cheered and Bobby angled the craft off toward the air field behind the lines to rearm with more Hellstrike missiles. The gunship landed and Blackthorn hopped out. He removed his flight mask and looked to the ramp that dropped from the gunships rear where his two loyal servants skipped down the steel of the ramp, the red and purple hair of each of them swaying behind them. Violet leapt at her master and nuzzled him while the red haired Kitten nuzzled him.

Blackthorn took his servant in his arms and looked her in the eye "There is still more to come yet, both of you go get a drink and pray to the emperor".  
"Yes Master" they chorused and rushed off to the cafeteria. They were always this happy; they always had been since the inquisitor took them in. They had been war orphans of some hive city on some back water world. He had brought them up to follow his every word and serve the emperor and they saw him... well he didn't really know how they saw him, it wasn't like a father nor was it like a lover... he sighed as he turned his attention back to the air vehicle as the servitors fixed the missiles to it's under wing.

He sighed and went up to the cockpit once more. He flicked the switches, calibrating the targeting lasers ready for the next jaunt out onto the battle field at the edge of the city. Pilot Bobby Xib came up and leaned in looking at the instruments.

"Good run sir" he complimented and the inquisitor nodded.

"Not bad, but could have been much better. At least that Emperor damned spire fell". The pilot nodded "True that sir... Look Samson I never had the chance to thank you for dragging me out of the regulars".

Blackthorn looked to his old friend from flight school. "Hey you were always the better pilot, I'd be mad not to". The flight control trooper gave them the signal and the girls returned to the embarkation ramp. With them all ready, the engines powered up, the canopy came down and the gunship took off and went off back toward the combat zone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Where raptors dare

As they flew off Blackthorn received a communication, coded vermillion... inquisition lords. He flicked to the channel and gave his access ID code and listened to the message the psychic asteropath messengers had relayed from the fleet above. His eyes widened and then he frowned. He flicked the com off and sighed. He looked out over the burning city below. He could almost picture it as it once was, a bustling hive of activity. Now it was flooded with purple chitin... a bustling hive of activity.

He accessed the internal valkyrie com "Alright guys and gals, had word from the boss, we got three days before the Deathwatch come and exertminatus the planet. We need to find the hive mind spore and take it out before the black ships arrive". Bobby gave a nod.

"Ave Imperiator to that Sir" he replied. The girls in the back looked to each other and leant in their harnesses toward each other high fiving.

"We get to kill for our Master and the emperor" Kitten said as her chocolate brow eyes linked to the purple Cadian eyes of Violet.

"Mmm hmmmm and those bugs are going to pay for landing on one of His worlds" Violet replied with a giggle. The girls bumped the buttons that made the side doors swing open and their guns extend out. They slipped the mikes of their head sets down and spoke

"Left gun ready, time to swat some bugs"

"Right gun ready, For the Emperor!"

Samson had to chuckle, their energy and enthusiasm was infectious. So pure and real. They honestly did want to serve him and the Emperor.

"Weapons hot, fire at will" the inquisitor confirmed to the pair in the back as he flicked the switches in the cockpit to charge up the hull mounted las cannon on the side of the vehicle. There came the chatter and rumble of the machine guns from the back.

Blackthorn switched com channels to contact the waiting strike cruiser in orbit "JVV to Void Stalker, I need a detailed scan of the planet conducting, I need to find the hive mind uplink spore... you have one day. Ave Imperiator"

The crewman that received the Vox transmission replied as standard, recognizing the inquisitional code of the transition

"Aye my Lord. Emperor bless you." The crew man stood and went directly to the strike cruisers command throne

"Sir, The inquisitor needs an asteropathic scan of the planet, we have been given one day". The captain sighed.

"Damn inquisiton, they think they can swan in and just do as they please" the captain said with a curled lip. His many facial scars showed he had fought in many battles along side guard regiments as a fleet master.

"Sir, are you proposing... to defy the inquisition?" the crewman looked nervous. Could his captain be talking heresy?

"No, of course not... just complaining. The Emperor is always listening and lets hope he grants me the miracle that His servants allow me the space to persecute my own war in His name". The crewman let out a visible sigh of relief and rushed off to the astral choir chamber to arrange a psyker to come and scan the planet.

The valkyrie jinked and banked over the rooftops, for now simply thinning the tide with its standard weapons. Blackthorn was saving the Hellstrikes. They swooped low and strafed over a brood of hormigaunts. They died in a row of fountains of green acidic blood as they were defenceless against the flying vehicle. The girls giggled and sang the nursery rhyme 'pop goes the xeno'

Their giggles continued as they squealed with joy as Bobby banked hard and they almost dangled in their harnesses. He came to a hover facing a very, very...very large tyranid. A hive tyrant. It's four limbs stretching out as it gave a serial bellow that seemed to have a layer of psychic power to it. Kitten's hand went to her head "M-Master? I-it hurts... tell it to stop sh-shouting" the inquisitor gritted his teeth "Hellstrike one lock, fire it up Bobs" he said in a dark tone. The pilot initialised the Hellstrike and Samson's controls went green across the board.

"Missile one away" he said as the left missile fired off into the beast. It detonated on its hide. Superficial burns.

"Throne!" Bobby cursed and had to jink violently one way then the other to avoid being swatted like a fly by the 30 foot tall, walking, bone sword wielding, psychic fly swat. The guidance controls started to give out a warning beep as Bobby pushed the flyer to it's absolute limit. The girls stitching exploding contrails of ammo into it's hellishly thick chitin. The las cannon fired and went wide as Samson misjudged Bobby's erratic yet controlled movement. If he couldn't guess the arc of the next swing the mindless beast had no chance. A second high power laser bolt saw a hit to the side of it's head

"Back of the face!" Blackthorn called out. And bobby took advantage of the beast recoiling to manoeuvre to get a critical shot lined up with the las cannon.

"The honour is yours sir" Bobby said as he hovered expertly. Truth be told he couldn't hold the hover and fire the weapon himself. The inquisitor's finger hovered over the button. "For the Emperor, Terra but most of all the citizens of this world" he fired the weapon directly into the eye socket of the beast. The red laser beam went into the beast, cooked it's soft brain matter and back out the other side slamming into a vox pylon on the roof to the west. The beast stumbled as a headless chicken might and collapsed into a hab block sending up a plume of grey rockcrete dust to the tune of twisted metal and broken glass.

"That's a song I never tire of hearing" joked Bobby while the girls had a mini party in the back. All they needed was parchment hats and cake and you would think it was Emperormass back there.

"JVV Watch your six, incoming basilisk fire" the drone of a very fatigued ordinance spotter came through on the general com.

"Acknowledged, inform command a hive tyrant has the emperor's rest". He tapped the back of the seat in front of him to get Bobby's full attention

"We got earthshakers inbound. Fancy making this place a memory? Try north vector 12". The pilot nodded and ramped the engines up to full making the craft scream off further into the 'no mans land' as the imperium designated it or as the Tyranids called it... MINE!


End file.
